Long Live
by Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs
Summary: "Long live the walls we crashed through, I had the time of my life, with you." A Kelly/Tony song-fic beginning in high school. Cute friendship, a little drama, and a kiss or two. Also a little Jibbs because I can't help myself.


A/N: I tried to put this up last night, but FF decided to be obnoxious, but this has been sitting half-finished on my computer for over a month. I edited out a lyric because it didn't really fit- it wasn't terribly important, though. I adore this song, and this is honestly a ship I like even if it's totally and completely impossible. There's also tiny Jibbs in here because I just can't help myself.

I adore this song. I think of it as my 'graduation' song.

Also, as of today, I have been on this site for two years :)

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the lyrics.

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><p><em>I said remember this moment, in the back of my mind<br>The time we stood with our shaking hands  
>The crowds in the stands went wild<br>We were the Kings and the Queens  
>And they read off our names. <em>

_The night you danced like you knew our lives  
>Would never be the same<br>You held your head like a hero  
>On a history book page<em>

Kelly Gibbs stood in the middle of the football field, her auburn hair painstakingly-curled by her stepmother and pinned into a delicate half-twist, her blue ruffled dress blowing in the slight breeze as she squeezed her best friend's hand, feeling him squeeze back reassuringly. They were moments away from announcing the Homecoming King and Queen, and she was so nervous her hands were shaking.

Tony DiNozzo nudged her with his shoulder, getting her to look at him and sending her a smile that took her breath away. His hazel eyes reflected the bright lights of the stadium, and for a moment Kelly forgot about the screaming people in the stands watching them, and merely focused on how happy her best friend looked.

"Smile Kel- you look beautiful," he said, and she blushed, biting her lip as she shook her head at him.

"You're biased," she replied, causing him to roll his eyes. He opened his mouth to respond when he was cut off by the crackling of speakers, and Kelly squeezed his hand tightly, nervous excitement coursing through.

"And now it's time to announce our Homecoming King and Queen!" Principal Snow exclaimed into the megaphone, his white hair surrounding his head and his dark eyes as he looked at the three couples lined up in the middle of the field. "The votes were tallied and…our King and Queen are Anthony DiNozzo and Kelly Gibbs!"

Kelly looked up at Tony, her blue eyes wide and excited and she looked so beautiful that for a moment he couldn't really breathe. She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly, and he pressed her to him, her body fitting against him perfectly.

But then they were being moved to Principal Snow, accepting the sashes and the crowns and Tony could just see that Kelly was having the time of her life. His best friend- the one who could spend an entire weekend with her nose in a book, or who could spend two hours playing volleyball and not get bored- looked radiant in the spotlight, as beautiful as the sun.

He told himself to never forget this moment; to take a snapshot and always remember it. To always have this image of Kelly in his memory.

It was the end of a decade  
>But the start of an age<p>

Senior Ball arrived before either of them knew what hit them; Kelly picked out a dress and Tony rented a tux and then suddenly they were taking pictures at Kelly's house. Kelly's dad and stepmom Jenny watched the two laugh and joke like the best friends they were, Jenny shaking her head at the teenagers.

"They'll be dating by the end of the night," she whispered to her husband, who looked at her with worried blue eyes, flashing them back to his daughter.

"She wouldn't date DiNozzo," Gibbs replied in a low voice, shaking his head at his wife's words. She quirked up an eyebrow, her green eyes glittering.

"Wanna bet on it?" she asked, and Gibbs winced. She smirked, knowing she'd won. "Go tell your daughter she's beautiful and to have fun tonight."

Gibbs saluted Jenny before going over to Kelly, looking at his beautiful daughter. Her deep purple dress and pin-curled hair looked gorgeous, and he still couldn't believe his daughter was 18 years old. Ten years ago Shannon had been killed, and Kelly had been injured in the car accident. A decade had passed, and both of them had grown an incredible amount.

"You look great kid," Gibbs whispered, hugging Kelly carefully so as to not mess up her hair. "Proud of you."

"Thanks Daddy," Kelly whispered back, kissing his cheek. She pulled back and gave him one of those smiles she reserved just for him, and he sent her one back.

She was growing up, and as much as he hated it, he had to let it happen. A whole new decade had started- and he couldn't wait to see what she accomplished.

_Long live the walls we crashed through  
>All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you<br>I was screaming long live all the magic we made  
>And bring on all the pretenders<br>One day, we will be remembered_

"I did it Tony!" Kelly cried, running up to him at his locker, showing him the piece of paper in her hand. "I got the high merit award! There's a ceremony and everything!"

Tony scooped her up into a hug, grinning.

"I knew you could do it Kels," he replied, and she blushed. "Spotlights gonna be focused right on you blue-eyes. This whole humble kingdom bows to you."

Tony mock-bowed, causing Kelly to smack his shoulder and laugh, shaking her head.

"I couldn't have done it without you pushing me," she said, shrugging. Tony straightened up, pushing some of her thick hair behind her ear.

"They're gonna remember you, Kelly," he said, his tone oddly serious. "No matter what anyone else says, your name is going to be remembered by this school."

Kelly nodded, caught off-guard by his words. Leaning forward she slid her arms around his waist, hugging him. He kissed her forehead, resting his head atop hers.

The hallway was busy and she should be getting to class, but all she wanted was for this moment to never end.

_I said remember this feeling  
>I passed the pictures around<br>Of all the years that we stood there  
>On the side-lines wishing for right now<em>

"Tony, when was this photo even taken?" Tony asked, picking up one of the frames from the end table, laughing slightly. Kelly walked into the living room with two coffees, handing him his as she peered over his shoulder. She let out a laugh, shaking her head.

"The summer after graduation, when we went up to Cedar Point, and we had that guy that was in the bikini take our picture," she replied, and Tony cracked up again, his laughter ringing throughout the apartment and warming Kelly up inside.

Since Tony had gone to Ohio State for school and she'd gone to Georgetown, they hadn't been talking as much, and she missed her best friend. Now they were seniors, and Tony had been willing to spend his Spring Break with her, something she'd been looking forward to since Christmas, when they'd made the plan.

"I've missed you, Tony," Kelly said, burying her face in-between his shoulder blades and sighing, her voice slightly muffled.

"I've missed you too Kel," Tony said, turning so he could hug her properly, kissing her hair softly. She smelled like apples and cinnamon, evidence from the pie she'd made earlier. She'd gotten into baking in the time they'd been at school.

Her hair was longer. Her eyes looked bluer. She looked slimmer, her arms more muscular; she said she'd started rowing crew. She looked even more beautiful than before and he couldn't believe that she was his best friend.

He wanted so badly to kiss her; he'd wanted to since the night of Senior Ball but he'd restrained himself, not wanting to ruin their friendship. He'd watched her date a few guys, but the relationships had never lasted very long, and he'd gotten her back time after time.

Maybe right now was their time.

_Long live the walls we crashed through  
>All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you<br>I was screaming long live all the magic we made  
>And bring on all the pretenders<br>I'm not afraid  
>Long live all the mountains we moved<br>I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you  
>I was screaming long live that look on your face<br>And bring on all the pretenders  
>One day, we will be remembered<br>Hold on to spinning around  
>Confetti falls to the ground<br>May these memories break our fall_

The woods behind her house had been a magical land when she was a kid; a place of slaying dragons and sword fights and castles and princes and princesses.

"Do you remember playing out here?"

She turned at the male voice behind her, finding Tony walking towards her with his hands in his varsity Ohio State jacket. She smiled weakly, looking up at the tree that used to seem so tall to her.

"This was our favorite afterschool hang-out in third grade," she remarked, biting her lip as she looked around her at the bare trees; the November chill had driven away the leaves. "That was a long time ago."

"Just because we aren't kids anymore doesn't mean we can't still have fun out here," Tony replied, coming to stand closer to her, shrugging his shoulders. Kelly looked at him, her blue eyes unreadable.

They'd drifted their final year of college; Kelly had begun studying harder for grad school, and Tony had blown his knee out playing football, landing him in the hospital and unable to travel much. She hadn't even known he was back in town.

"How's your dad?" Tony asked, hands still shoved in his pockets. "Your stepmom?"

"Daddy's good," Kelly said, shrugging. "Retired from work, building another boat. Jenny's still working, still putting up with Dad's crap. They're thinking about adopting a puppy."

There was a moment of silence, the wind rustling the tree branches.

"How's your dad?" Kelly asked, shifting to meet his hazel eyes, sucking in her breath at how sad he looked.

"Still chasing girls," Tony replied, sighing as he shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck with his palm. Kelly nodded, her arms wrapped around herself to ward off the chill. "Kelly, what are we doing?"

"Tony, we haven't talked in months," Kelly replied, looking at him and biting her lip. "I miss you like crazy, but I don't even know what to say to you. You don't call, you don't write- I didn't even know you were back in Virginia. I miss my best friend, Tony."

"I'm sorry, Kelly," Tony said, his face falling to his toes. "I know I've been horrible about keeping in contact but I've been missing you too- I think about you all the time and I miss hearing your voice and seeing your smile and listening to you laugh at my stupid jokes that aren't even funny half the time. I miss you, Kelly Leanne Gibbs, and I love you."

It took her brain a minute to process what he'd said and then she just stood there, stunned into silence by his words.

"Tony…I love you too," she whispered, looking at him with crystals glittering in the corners of her eyes, her lips curling up into a smile as she reached for him, relief filling her when he pulled her to him, dropping his lips onto the top of her head. She looked up at him, smiling, and then he was kissing her, and she'd never felt happier.

_Will you take a moment, promise me this  
>That you'll stand by me forever<br>But if God forbid fate should step in  
>And force us into a goodbye<br>If you have children some day  
>When they point to the pictures<br>Please tell them my name  
>Tell them how the crowds went wild<br>Tell them how I hope they shine_

"See this guy, Lex?" Kelly asked, pointing to the picture on the mantle of the college guy in his football uniform, down on one knee with the ball in his hands. The little girl nodded, her curls flying around her head. "He's one of the greatest guys your Mommy has ever known. He was a great football player until he hurt his knee, and then he became the greatest police officer ever, aside from your Grandpa Gibbs."

"It sounds like someone is talking about me again," came a male voice from behind them, and Lex giggled, turning and running towards the man.

"Hi Daddy," she said, letting him scoop her up and cover her in kisses. Kelly turned towards her husband and smiled, letting him kiss her too, until Lex began to giggle again.

"Hi Tony," she said, and her husband grinned, kissing her again.

"I love it when you tell stories about me," he said, and she rolled her eyes, shoving him slightly.

"We've heard them all," Gibbs said as he walked into the room, Jenny close behind with her grandson in her arms. Ian covered his face with his hands, thick chestnut hair adorning his head. Jenny tickled his sides to make him giggle, his hazel eyes glowing. Jenny settled on the couch next to her husband, the toddler on her lap looking at his grandfather in interest, scrambling over onto his lap and playing with the buttons on his shirt.

"Jethro, be nice to our son-in-law," Jenny said, rolling her eyes at her husband and shooting him a look, her green eyes burning with amusement. Jethro merely smirked, and Jenny winked at him.

"Seriously, guys, keep the flirting confined to your house," Kelly said, rolling her eyes at her parents and causing Tony to laugh, which in turn made Lex begin to giggle. "Do not corrupt my children, please."

"Oh, shut your mouth Kelly," Jenny said, shaking her head at her stepdaughter. "They're our only grandchildren, we aren't going to do anything to harm them."

"Well, your daughter and I both appreciate that," Tony said, causing his in-laws to roll their eyes. "I'm sure your grandchildren will one day too."

Kelly kissed Lex's forehead, mussing up her light-colored curls. Ian giggled from Gibbs' lap, seeing his mom and sister together. Tony went over and sat on Gibbs' other side, playing peek-a-boo with his son.

Kelly glanced back at the mantel, finding the picture from Homecoming, when they'd been King and Queen, and she'd been so happy she could have screamed. She smiled, remembering everything about that night, and the years that had been leading up to this moment.

And she wouldn't change a single thing about them.


End file.
